


Whichever Way The Wind Blows

by brokencasbutt67



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Ceolbert Dies, Consensual Infidelity, Eivor Kisses Ceolbert, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, It's his last wish, Kissing, Making Out, Minor Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:49:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29661309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokencasbutt67/pseuds/brokencasbutt67
Relationships: Ceolbert/Eivor (Assassin's Creed), Eivor & Randvi (Assassin's Creed)
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

Checking on Ceolbert should’ve been Eivor’s first action, upon hearing that he’d gone to hunt an animal. She didn’t though. She’s here now and hopefully, he isn’t too harmed. The trail of blood leading through the cavern had piqued her interest and alarmed her simultaneously.

If it’s not Ceolbert’s, it’s likely some other poor soul who will need rescuing just as much. A few hops here and there have her entering into an opening. It was a tight squeeze to get in, but Eivor is in. There are several wolf corpses littering the ground, though that’s not what’s caught her attention the most.

It’s Ceolbert.

He’s laid on the ground a few feet away, surrounded by blood. Eivor jogs over to him and drops to her knees. He’s alive, but barely.

“Ceolbert, what happened?” She asks, looking around. The wolf that caused _this_ may still be around, lurking away to strike.

“I… I…” Ceolbert gasps, his eyes are wide and frantic. Eivor frowns, lifting his hand from where it has been covering his chest. Her eyes widen at the sight of a wound, a wound that was definitely _not_ caused by an animal.

“Who did this to you? You’re going to be okay” Eivor tries to reassure Ceolbert, though she knows that the likelihood of him surviving is thin, if there even is a chance. She squeezes his hand in her own. Ceolbert is struggling to breathe, something which is made more of a challenge while he’s lying flat on his back. Eivor lifts him until she can rest his head in her lap, and it seems to help him somewhat.

“I don’t have long Eivor…” Ceolbert whispers. Eivor squeezes his hand tighter.

“I love you… I love the life that you’ve all given me, accepting me with open arms to Ravensthorpe…” He continues.

“But… you… I love you more than I could ever say. Randvi is…” Ceolbert groans, clutching at his side again. Eivor strokes her fingers over his cheek, squeezing his hand.

“I’m here, you’re not alone,” She says. Ceolbert nods.

“Randvi is one lucky lady. Whatever happens between you and Sigurd and her, don’t let it ruin the love you have. I’ve known for months…” Ceolbert whispers.

“Do you have any last wishes? Any requests? Anything I can do to make this better?” Eivor asks. Her eyes meet Ceolbert’s and she can see that the light behind his eyes is fading. This is her last chance to say anything before it’s too late.

“Kiss me, Eivor… please,” Ceolbert asks.

“Make my first… my _only_ … my best” He adds. Without hesitation, Eivor leans down and kisses him gently. Ceolbert’s hand lifts to Eivor’s cheek, leaving blood against her skin as the kiss deepens until Eivor is pulling back. She can hear Ceolbert’s breathing getting worse.

“Thank you, Eivor… you must go now. The wolf will be close” Ceolbert says. Eivor shakes her head.

“I’m not going anywhere, you fool. Who did this to you…?” She responds. Ceolbert lets a small smile fall onto his face.

“Thank you…” He gasps. Eivor presses a soft kiss to his forehead.

“Was it Ivarr?” She asks. The suspicion has been underlying, and she needs to ask it. If it wasn’t, then so be it. If it was, well…

Eivor shakes the thoughts away and looks down at Ceolbert. He nods slightly, though his eyes are drifting closed.

“Sleep well, Warrior. We will meet again, whichever way the winds of life blow” Eivor promises, squeezing his hand. Ceolbert nods, though it’s only a moment passing before he’s falling limp in Eivor’s arms. His eyes are wide open, piercing deep into her soul. Eivor leans down and closes his eyes, as well as his mouth, before pressing a light kiss to his forehead.

After several minutes of sitting in silence, her head bowed as she says a prayer for the boy, Eivor stands. She lifts him into her arms and carries him out of the cavern. The run back to the camp isn’t far, but it’s not close either. But Eivor persists, running it by foot until she arrives.

The clansmen all surround her as she lays Ceolbert onto a bed.

“Grab me a fucking axe” She yells. An axe is handed to her almost immediately. _It’s not his tradition, but it’s ours, and he was one of us too._

“Send word to Ceolwulf, his son is dead” Eivor states. The mood in the camp is solemn as her words ring out. Someone, Eivor can’t quite place who, says something before jogging off to his horse, _he’s travelling the distance to tell the king himself, personally_. She looks around for a few moments, she can’t see Ivarr anywhere.

“Where’s Ivarr?” She asks, her fury is pertinent.

“Last we heard he was at the cavern with young Ceolbert. After that, he went just over there” One of them says. Eivor looks to where he’s pointing, her eyes landing on a cliffside. She nods, though now isn’t the time.

“He says he’ll be there for the next few days” Someone comments, as they wander past. Eivor nods, swallowing down some emotions.

“I’m heading back to Ravensthorpe, Randvi needs to know about this. Prepare his body to be sent to his father” She orders, before calling for her mount.

Eivor’s journey back to the settlement is filled with warring thoughts. _I should’ve gone with him, it was only wolves, or a boar, or whatever it was. Now he’s dead because Ivarr is fucking bastard and I wasn’t there._

Eventually, she arrives at Ravensthorpe. She hops off her horse, and the self-loathing is rolling off her in waves. Everyone can feel it as she walks into the longhouse, kicking something as she does. It rolls away with a clattering, catching more people’s attention, not that she cares.

She takes a seat on one of the benches, staring into the flames that are lapping away in front of her. Of course, she should tell Randvi, but at the moment, she can’t find the right words to fit. And… Eivor wants to process it all before she tells Randvi.


	2. Chapter 2

Randvi glanced out into the longhouse, entirely taken aback to find Eivor sitting on one of the benches, holding her head in her hands. _Eivor usually tells Randvi of her return, something bad has happened._

Randvi wanders over, sitting beside her. Of course, right now she can’t show Eivor any affection – not while their relationship is still secret, and there’s so much at stake. But something isn’t right with the warrior, and that’s more important for Randvi than any reputation that she may have, or any rumours that may surface.

“I failed him” Eivor murmurs, staring into the fire in front of her. Randvi frowns, shifting closer to Eivor.

“His father entrusted me with his care and he’s fucking dead” Eivor shouts as she walks out of the longhouse. By this point, some of the clansmen have gathered around, all questioning the cause of Eivor’s upset. Eivor punches a tree and kicks a pot as she starts to walk away.

“Eivor, I think you should come inside and calm down. Have some mead, we can talk about it together” Randvi suggests. She holds her hand out for Eivor, watching the warrior with a hopeful look on her face.

After a few moments, Eivor nods and takes Randvi’s hand. They walk inside, while the settlement begins to disperse and return to whatever they were doing before Eivor’s outburst.

For a brief moment, the world is calm and they’re holding onto each other. If Eivor could live in a single moment forever, this would be it. She has Randvi in her hand, her mind is free, and there’s nothing to break the small bubble of peace inside of her.

But then everything comes crashing down to Earth. The realization that one of her closest allies, and friend, will be here no longer. He was like a light in the dark, bringing joy and laughter to the settlement with his quirks and innocence.

Randvi sits Eivor on her bed, before leaving. She returns a moment later with some mead. Randvi watches as Eivor stares at it for a moment, before placing the drink onto a table without even taking a sip. _Something isn’t right, something has happened that’s hurt Eivor greatly_.

“What’s happened?” Randvi asks, sitting beside Eivor on the bed. Only two nights ago, they made love here. _Oh, how things change_.

“Ivarr, the bastard” Eivor murmurs. She pulls her axe into her hands, tracing her fingers over the blade.

“Okay… What did he do?” Randvi asks. Reaching down, she takes the axe from Eivor’s hands to rest it beside her on the bed – Randvi has begun to notice a trend that when Eivor is upset, or angry, or any overwhelmed by negative emotion, she becomes injury-prone. It’s almost as though she’s punishing herself – something that hurts Randvi greatly.

“Ceolbert’s gone. Ivarr…” Eivor trails off, letting out a shaky breath. She looks down to the floor. Randvi seems to understand though, reaching down to squeeze Eivor’s hand.

“I should’ve been there with him. I should’ve protected him; I shouldn’t have let him go off alone to _hunt a wolf._ Got killed by a weasel instead” She whispers. The self-loathing is radiating from Eivor, it can be felt in her words.

“You weren’t to know, Eivor. Don’t blame yourself for the past, so long as we make the future better” Randvi murmurs. She strokes her thumb over the back of Eivor’s hand.

“Where is… Where are they both now?” Randvi asks.

“Ceolbert is on his way back home, word has been sent to Ceolwulf. Ivarr on the other hand…” Eivor trails off.

“I’m going to find him. I’m going to rip his fucking head off, and I’m going to let the wolves hump his corpse” She growls. Randvi is taken aback – she’s never heard such violence be spoken by Eivor, even if the warrior wouldn’t hesitate to carry it out. Randvi doesn’t respond, instead, she squeezes Eivor’s hand.

“Take a deep breath, my love,” She says. Eivor nods slightly, though she doesn’t move. Randvi pulls her into a loose hug.

“His lasts words…” Eivor whispers. There’s a shakiness in her voice that’s rarely heard. Randvi pulls back, cupping Eivor’s cheek. A stray tear races down Eivor’s cheek, brushed away by Randvi.

“He loves us, Ravensthorpe… me. He was grateful for everything we taught him, the home we created for him and how we embraced him…” Eivor admits. It’s playing like a horrible movie in the back of her mind, the way the light faded from Ceolbert’s eyes as he slumped back. His mouth was slightly open, his eyes too. Eivor couldn’t help herself when she closed them. For once in his short life, Ceolbert didn’t look scared.

“He was a cherished companion, and he will be sorely missed by every single person in the settlement,” Randvi says. She glances over to Eivor, a sad smile on her face.

“He had one wish…” Eivor murmurs, staring down at the floor. Randvi watches as Eivor pulls an arrow from her quiver. The arrow is fondled for a few moments, with Eivor prodding the sharpened end several times. Randvi chuckles slightly.

“You’ll hurt yourself” She comments, taking the arrow. Lifting Eivor’s hand, she presses a soft kiss to Eivor’s knuckles. Eivor lets the shadow of a smile fall onto her face for the briefest of moments. For several minutes, neither of them says anything.

Randvi has so many questions that she wants to ask, but now isn’t the right time. And Eivor doesn’t know what to say. The thoughts are swirling through her head, in a big pot that’s on the verge of bubbling over.

“He wanted me to kiss him” Eivor eventually says. She’s staring into the fire, Randvi’s eyes are trained onto the side of her head. Eivor can _feel_ them, she doesn’t need to look at Randvi to know that much.

“Did you…?” Randvi trails off, she’s not sure if she wants to know the answer.

“I wasn’t going to deny an honourable man his last wish” Eivor shrugs, resting her hand just above the flames. It’s warming her, though it’s nothing compared to Randvi’s warmth. Randvi swallows down her emotions – she can’t even make sense of them herself; she can’t imagine what Eivor is going through.

“I’m going to find that weasel” Eivor states, standing up. She picks up her axe and her arrow, before turning to Randvi.

“If I’m not back in a few days… well, you know what’s happened” Eivor shrugs, before walking away.

“Eivor” Randvi calls out into the longhouse. She jogs out, met with Eivor staring right back. She has her shield up – the mental shield. Her emotions are buried deep, covered by her anger and rage. Before Eivor can say anything, Randvi is pulling her into a deep kiss.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Ravensthorpe needs you… and I need you” She murmurs. Eivor nods, though she says nothing before she turns away. Randvi watches on, letting out a sad sigh as Eivor leaves the longhouse. A moment later, the clattering of horse hooves can be heard and Eivor has gone out on her mission. Randvi can only pray that Eivor doesn’t get hurt and that Ivarr gets his comeuppance. Randvi has faith in Eivor to carry out the latter, even if the warrior is certain to be injured by the end of it.


	3. Chapter 3

It’s been several days before Randvi begins to worry. It _shouldn’t_ take this long to find and kill Ivarr, surely? Shaking away the thoughts, Randvi sits down in Eivor’s quarters, looking around. She’s not sure why she feels more comfortable in here, but it’s much more homely to Randvi than her own quarters. Her own quarters always seem cold, where Eivor’s provide a warmth that’s unmatched.

She looks around the room, before deciding that perhaps she should search for Eivor, anything that may give a hint to where the warrior is – or if she’s even still alive. She isn’t hopeful to find much though, Eivor didn’t linger for long before she was leaving to search for Ivarr.

She doesn’t need to do much though, because there’s a clattering of horse hooves filling the camp, prompting Randvi to stand up and walk out to the alliance table. _Can’t be caught hiding in Eivor’s quarters._ After a minute, or maybe less, Randvi sees Eivor walking into the longhouse. Blood soaks her skin – cuts, contusions and bruises litter her face. There’s also an arrow hanging from Eivor’s arm, but she’s here and she’s alive. That’s enough for Randvi.

“Job’s done; he’s gone.” Eivor comments, dropping a bag into the settlement chest before going to her quarters. Randvi nods, though she doesn’t say anything. After a moment, she wanders through to Eivor’s quarters.

“Are you injured?” She asks, watching as Eivor places some of her armour onto the bed. There’s a slight shrug, followed by a grimace. Randvi rolls her eyes while a fond smile falls onto her face.

“I think that’s a yes. Sit down, I’ll grab some cloth” Randvi says. She turns on her heel and leaves Eivor’s room only a moment later. When she returns, Eivor is seated on her bed. Randvi rakes her eyes over Eivor’s body. There are more wounds than she’d anticipated, several of which will need immediate action – including the arrow in Eivor’s arm. Before Randvi can do anything about it, Eivor tugs it out of her arm and tosses it aside. A trickle of blood streams down her arm.

“I should send word to Ubba of Ivarr’s… passing. He deserves to know of his brother’s actions and passing” Eivor says, staring into the fire. She’s still hurting, there’s a faraway, distant look in her eyes. Randvi has seen it before, usually when Eivor talks about her past life, and her family. It’s a look that hurts Randvi, Eivor’s hiding her emotions with a stone wall.

“That can wait, my love” Randvi promises. Eivor shrugs, staring down at her boots.

“For now, I’m going to do… this” Randvi gestures to their surroundings and the cloths in her lap.

“And then we’re going to warm up around a fire, away from Ravensthorpe. I would like to get away for a few days, and I don’t trust you to not get injured while you’re alone” Randvi murmurs, tightening a knot into the make-shift bandage. Eivor shrugs, though she doesn’t reject the suggestion.

“What about Sigurd? He’s meant to be returning tomorrow” Eivor says. She’s entirely emotionless, and Randvi can’t decide if that’s worse than her being dead. Of course, logically Randvi knows that Eivor will get through these dark times and be back to her normal self soon enough. It still hurts now though.

“Sigurd’s grown enough to understand that there are more important things than his penis” Randvi shrugs, wiping away some more blood. There’s a slight chuckle from Eivor.

“Sure about that? His ego would take a hammering for sure” Eivor responds. Randvi knows what she wants to say, but whether or not she can bring herself to do so is a different matter. For now, though, she brings a different response.

“Sigurd’s ego is inflated. If he knew how bad it is to lay with him…” Randvi chuckles. Eivor smiles and turns to Randvi.

“Thank you…” She whispers. Randvi frowns slightly.

“You didn’t have to do… well this, I don’t deserve it for failing… him” Eivor shrugs.

“I want to, Eivor. You’re a beloved member of Ravensthorpe’s clan. You’re more than worthy, even if you don’t see it” Randvi says.

“And…” She trails off. _Is it the right time? Too soon? Ah, fuck it._

“I love you” Randvi says. She doesn’t hesitate, she doesn’t look around to see if anyone else is around, there’s no faltering as she says those three words. It’s the first time that she’s felt comfortable enough to say it aloud. It doesn’t feel wrong, or odd. It feels… _right._ It doesn’t even feel like this with Sigurd. Eivor doesn’t respond, instead, she kisses Randvi. She can’t find the right words, but she doesn’t need to.

Randvi melts under Eivor’s touch, as the cloth falls from Randvi’s lap. They move together until Eivor is laid back on the bed, with the kisses getting deeper and deeper. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Randvi knows that they should move, that any member of the settlement could see her and Eivor like this. She doesn’t care though. Randvi feels free, she isn’t holding back on her true love.

They eventually come apart for air. Their eyes meet, there’s still the hurt in Eivor’s eyes. Randvi knows that it won’t fade for days to come. But she can start working to make Eivor smile again. She stands after a moment, holding her hand out to Eivor.

“Come, love. We can ride. It doesn’t matter where we go, so long as we have each other” Randvi comments. Eivor nods and smiles slightly. She stands, and after a moment, she’s pulling her armour back on. Randvi smiles as she watches.

“When is Ceolbert…” Randvi trails off, she’s never been too knowledgeable of Christian burial rites.

“Ceolwulf has promised to send word when they have something arranged” Eivor responds. Randvi nods and smiles. She looks up at Eivor, and after a moment, Eivor is holding her hand out. Randvi smiles and takes her hand, as they begin the short journey out to Eivor’s horse.

“Which way?” Eivor asks, looking back to Randvi.

“Whichever way the wind blows” Randvi responds. Eivor smiles and squeezes Randvi’s hand, where it lays around her waist. They don’t know where they’re going, they don’t know how long they’re going to be. But they’re going, and that’s enough.


End file.
